


Maybe Next Universe

by theimpossiblepossiblegirl



Series: 52 Short Stories in 52 Weeks [22]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Character Death, F/M, I'm Sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-07-10 23:57:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7013845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theimpossiblepossiblegirl/pseuds/theimpossiblepossiblegirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the Doctor realizes he's gone, his first thoughts go to Rose and how she'll cope.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Maybe Next Universe

**Author's Note:**

> Week Twenty-two: A story written from the perspective of someone dead/undead

He knew he shouldn’t have gone out, Rose had told him not to. That the milk could wait until the morning. But he wanted to go out. He had a burst of energy that he needed to expel and he figured he might as well pop over to the store. As he looked down at himself now, he realized it may not have been the best idea.

Rose would be alone now. His beautiful girl. They had only been in Pete’s world about six months and while he enjoyed every minute he got to spend with her, he could still see something hidden deep in her eyes. Her smile had never been quite the same. Her laugh, seemed more forced than normal. He knew she didn’t blame him, it hadn’t been his fault that they were left behind. He would do anything in his power to see that she would be happy again.

That’s why he went out to get her the milk she would need for her morning tea. He never knew a pint of milk would lead to his death.

As the Doctor looked down at his body, he saw the bullet wounds and the blood that had pooled underneath him. A robbery. While he stared at his body, he listed to the officers as they surveyed the scene. Two suspects, both captured. Three dead. Two with only a few scrapes. Two more injured and on their way to the hospital.

He hadn’t meant to get shot, not that anyone does. He had tried to protect a young mother and her child. The two that were fine. He knew Rose would be upset and he wouldn’t be there to comfort her. There was no way now for her to get back to her original universe either. He looked down and willed himself to regenerate. Rubbish body wouldn’t even do that. Well, it wasn’t complete rubbish, Rose did enjoy cuddling with him. He frowned. She wouldn’t be able to do that anymore.

He wondered who would call Rose and tell her. Would she be asleep or was she awake? When he had left the flat, she had just fallen asleep. Would she call Jackie and Pete and have one of them go with her to the hospital? Would she call them after she was sure it was him? He should have just listened to her and stayed home or not have gone to the market down the block, not after the place had been robbed twice in the last six weeks. He never could pass an adventure.

The Doctor blinked and they were at the hospital. He was lying there on the metal table, a sheet covering him. He could hear the murmurs of the staff, saying they had called his next of kin and she was on her way. He never did get around to giving Rose the ring that was in his nightstand. Oh, he hoped Jackie or Pete went through that before she did. It wouldn’t do for her to find it. Not yet at least.

He regrets now, all of the chances he missed with Rose. Not telling her he loved her more than once a day. _Really Doctor, you told her every chance you had._ Not making an honest woman of her. _Jackie’s words, not his._ Not that it mattered to Rose. Loving her the way she deserved. It never would have been enough, not in his eyes. He loved her, but not enough to make the sadness in her eyes diminish. Now he was the cause of an entirely different sadness.

Maybe he would regenerate. He recalled a time in his seventh body that it took a while for him to regenerate after being shot. Perhaps it would happen again. _One heart._ He reminded himself with a grim expression. He would never get to hold Rose again. Make Tony laugh. Tease Jackie about her cooking. Talk about Torchwood with Pete. He hoped for Rose’s sake, Pete found a way to get her back to the original universe. She needed to be with him.

He heard commotion and turned to look at the doors of the morgue. Rose was pushing her way through, Pete not far behind her. She was crying, hysterically. As she walked past, he reached a hand out to her, only for his arm to go through her chest. Right, couldn’t do that anymore. He wanted to look away, do anything but watch as the love of his life cried. He couldn’t. He watched as Pete spoke quietly to someone. Hearing the word Torchwood, he watched Rose for her reaction. None. He was her only focus.

“Rose, they’re going to bring him over to Torchwood.” Pete told her quietly as he walked over to her.

“I want to go with him.” Rose gripped his hand in hers and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

If he could feel anything, his heart would have sunk. Maybe there was a way he could fix this. Make it so he wasn’t dead. That he wasn’t lying on the cold metal table. Would there ever be a universe where he and Rose were together for the rest of their lives? It wasn’t fair to either of them that this kept happening.

Another blink sent him to the morgue in Torchwood. As he walked around the room he could see Pete and Rose staring at his body. Owen was preparing to do the autopsy while Jake stood off to the side. He couldn’t see anyone else in the room and could only assume Jackie was home with Tony. Who would explain to Tony what was going on?

“Can we use the resurrection gauntlets?” Rose questioned, running her fingers of the Doctor’s face.

“Rose, you know we can’t use them.” He reminded her as he shared a look with Jake.

“I don’t care. I need to talk to him. Get them.”

Seeing Rose like this, he wondered how she was going to be able to cope without him. It pained him, greatly to not be able to protect her and be there for her. What would happen if they used the gauntlets on him? Would he be brought back? It was said nothing could ever bring back a Time Lord once he was completely dead. Would it be different for him since he was only part Time Lord?

It was a few minutes later that he watched Owen hook him up to different monitors as Rose held his hand. Jake had walked back into the room with the gauntlets. He had never seen them, only heard about them from Jack. Two had existed in their original universe and now two were here. Were they any different here?

He felt a pull at his navel and when he opened his eyes, he saw Rose staring back at him. He wasn’t floating over his body any more.

“Rose.”

“Doctor.” She let out a sob as she hugged him tightly. “How could you be so daft? The milk could have waited. After everything we’ve been through, I lost you because of a pint of milk.”

“I’m sorry, love.” He let out another gasp, feeling a surge of power course through his body.

“You only have a few minutes.” Pete reminded them, quietly.

“Rose, listen to me. If you find a way back to your universe, go. Find the Doctor.”

“You are the Doctor.” She reminded him as she blinked back her tears.

“The other Doctor then. He’s at his best when he’s with you.”

“Just like you.”

“I love you, Rose. Do me one favor, have a fantastic life. Do that for me.”

She chuckled quietly, pressing a kiss to his lips. “Don’t go.”

“You know I have to.”

“One minute.” Owen told them as he checked the Doctor’s vitals.

“Please, don’t leave me. Fight this. I need you, Doctor. I can’t go through life without you.”

“I’ll be with you, when you need me most.” He vowed, his eyes locked on hers for his final moments.

“I love you.” Rose watched as the love of her life slipped away again, her grip on his hand tightening.

It took him another minute before he was back floating over his body. He knew Rose would want to use the gloves again, but he couldn’t let her. It was meant to happen this way, he thought. Maybe, just maybe, the next universe would allow them to be together forever.


End file.
